The Potion
by The-Shadow288
Summary: On Bowser's orders, Kamek creates a love potion for Princess Peach, but things get out of hand when someone else drinks the potion by mistake. Can Mario survive these feelings, and will he be the same when all is said and done. YAOI, MarioXBowser
1. Prologue: The Potion

AN: Alright, just to get this out of the way, yes this is a slash fic, yes it is Mario=Bowser, yes I used an equal sign and yes this is rated M for a reason. If you don't like any of the above don't bother reading or commenting.

Now with that out of the way, enjoy the story

**Prologue: The Potion**

Deep within Bowser's Castle, in the dark and dreary corridors of the castle cellar, the senior Magikoopa, Kamek, was busy working in his laboratory on Bowser's latest scheme. His spectacled eyes were fully concentrated on a flask, sitting over an intensely hot flame; its contents, a bluish liquid, bubbling away under his intense gaze.

Turning from the flask, he looked around his lab space for the ingredients he needed to add to the concoction. Gazing over the assorted scientific paraphernalia he kept in his lab, his eyes came to rest on a couple of golden leaves that had just recently arrived from the Creepy Steeple precisely for this little experiment. Grabbing the leaves, he placed them in a mixing bowl, and taking a clay rod, began grinding the leaves into a fine powder.

His eyes wandered back to the flask, still bubbling away in anticipation for what was to come next. A small smile creped over Kamek's face, pleased that everything seemed to be going well so far. Breaking his gaze from the flask, he glanced down at the mixing bowl. The once whole leaves were now little more then a fine golden powder.

Deciding that the leaves had been pulverized enough and taking the mixing bowl in one hand and a funnel in the other, Kamek slowly emptied its contents into the flask. As soon as the powder touched the liquid, the bubbling slowed down as the mixture began changing from a bluish tint to a darkish green color. Putting both the funnel and mixing bowl aside, Kamek grabbed a glass stirring rod and began stirring the contents of the flask.

Reaching over to his right, Kamek began feeling for the test tube he needed for this particular phase of the experiment. '_Let's see… no, that's extract of mushroom… no, that's a goomba blood sample… where is that… blast it, where is that tube!?'_

Deciding that feeling around for it was no good, Kamek let out an annoyed grunt and turned his eyes from the mixture he was currently stirring to see where the test tube was. Scanning the test tube rack, his old eyes finally caught site of what he needed. Grasping the test tube, he removed it from the rack and glanced at its contents, a gold colored liquid. He glanced at the label to make sure it was the right one. '_Nectar of Amazy Dayzee, yes, that's it.'_

Satisfied, he turned his attention back to the flask. The golden leaf powder had finally dissolved completely turning the color of the mixture into a lightish green. Removing the stirring rod from the mix, he popped the stopper off the tube he was holding and slowly tilted the tube, as he only needed a drop for this mixture, too much and the concoction would be ruined.

Kamek's eyes narrowed as he watched the golden liquid slowly creep towards the edge of the tube. Gently, carefully tilting it more, the liquid continued its slow advance. Kamek could feel his brow getting sweaty as he licked his lips in anxious anticipation for that one, sweet drop of nectar that would bring his potion one step closer to completion. The liquid stopped at the edge of the tube and slowly, a drop began to form. Kamek took a deep breath in as he waited for that one drop to fall. After a few more stress inducing seconds, the drop finally fell from the tube and into the mixture, immediately dissolving into the liquid.

Letting out a long sigh, Kamek stopped up the tube again and placed it back on the rack. Grabbing the stirring rod, he began stirring the greenish liquid and it soon began boiling again.

After a few seconds, Kamek removed the stirring rod and put out the flame under the flask. Taking a pair of tongs, Kamek grasped the neck of the flask and moved the glass container off of its stand. Kamek stared into the garish liquid, a smile crossing his weathered face, pleased with the results so far. It was too early for him to celebrate, however, as he was still missing one last ingredient.

Raising and shaking his left arm, the sleeve of his robe moved down revealing a watch underneath. Checking the time, he realized his guest was five minutes late. Kamek sighed, '_Now where could he b-'_

The door to Kamek's lab suddenly burst open, the door crashing against the wall. Startled out of his wits, Kamek yelped and sent the flask up into the air. Eyes widening in terror as he watched an hours worth of careful work about to come crashing down on the floor below, Kamek did the only thing his panicked mind could think to do. He quickly dove to the ground and caught the flask just inches before it hit the ground.

Kamek's relief soon turned to pain as he quickly found out that grabbing a flask he had just taken off the fire a few seconds ago with his bare hands was not a wise idea. Burning pain seared through Kamek's hands as the old koopa bit down on his lower lip to keep himself from screaming, least he accidently let go of the flask.

"You're pretty fast for an old koopa," said an amused voice from near the laboratory entrance.

Kamek slowly, painfully got back up to his feet, flask still firmly in his hands. He quickly placed the flask on the table, and looked down at his hands. A whimper escaped the withered koopa as he looked at his burned and blistered hands. He was breathing hard, both from the exertion and the pain of his newly charred hands. Eyes watering from the pain, he slowly turned to face his guest.

Standing in the doorway was none other than his lord and master, King Bowser, looking as imposing as ever. He had been expecting his master's arrival, but, glancing at his hands, he wished his lord could've been a bit quieter when he entered. Still, staring at his lord, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride well up in him, knowing that the baby he had raised had grown up into such a fine koopa and that it was all due to his servitude. Though, he often wished his lord were a bit more mature as he still had random temper tantrums and was a tad too self-centered. Perhaps he had spoiled his lord a bit too much.

Realizing he was still biting down on his lip, Kamek slowly opened his mouth, "lucky for me, sire."

As his lord strolled into the room, Kamek looked over at the ice box near his work station that housed some of his frozen samples. Striding quickly over to the box, he lifted the lid off and stared into the cool environment of his freezer. Without a second thought, Kamke plunged both hands into the ice. Sweet, cold relief started spreading through Kamek's hands as the old koopa let out a long, content sigh as the burning pain in his hands subsided.

"Is this it?"

Kamek glanced over his shoulder and saw his lord inspecting the potion with his eyes. "Yes, that's it my lord. Be careful not to touch it, it's quite hot," he said, casting a quick glance back to his burnt, ice encrusted hands.

"So what did you need me for? Is it ready?" Bowser said, glancing over at Kamek.

"Not quite, your nastiness. It just needs one last ingredient." Turning his attention back to his hands, Kamek removed them from the freezer. "Just give me a minute, sire," he said as he ran over to the medicine cabinet. Opening it, he quickly grabbed a roll of bandages and wrapped his hands up. He also grabbed a band-aid and a sterile lancet knowing he'd need them later. Walking back to the freezer, he plunged his hands back into the ice, allowing the bandages to soak up the cold, ice water.

"Well, are you finished?!"

Kamek turned to see his lord leaning against his work station, claws drumming on the table top as he stared with narrowed eyes at him, impatiently waiting for him to get back to work.

His lord's impatience was also a flaw Kamek regretted he did not correct while his lordship was still young. Kamek knew better then to keep his lord waiting too long. Removing his soaked, bandaged hands from the freezer, he walked over to his king. "Yes, I'm quite done now, your gruesomeness."

An irritated sigh escaped Bowser's cavernous mouth, "whatever, just tell me why I need to be here? What do you still need for this potion?"

Kamek's answer was short, simple and to the point, "your blood."

Kamek couldn't help but smile at the wide eyed expression his lord had after this particular message processed through his brain. "I don't need a lot, your viciousness, I just need a drop."

Bowser visibly relaxed, "alright, you'll get your drop," he said as he was about to prick his index finger with his thumb claw.

Kamek quickly placed his hands on his lords, "no, no, my lord, you might contaminate it! I don't want you messing up my work!"

Bowser emitted a low growl, his eyes narrowing, "what?"

Kamek quickly back peddled, "um, not that you would mean to ruin it, your nastiness. I just want to make sure everything is perfect for this potion. This is very delicate work."

Bowser shook his head, eyes to the ceiling, "fine, you do it then," he said, holding his hand out over the flask.

Sterilizing one of Bowser's fingers, Kamek opened the small pack containing the lancet. Holding his lord's finger with one hand and the lancet in the other, Kamek stabbed the lancet into Bowser's finger, drawing blood. Kamek squeezed his lord's finger until a single drop fell into the flask. Letting go of his master's hand and moving it away from the potion, Kamek immediately stirred the mixture until the blood dissolved into the liquid.

A pleased smile crossed Kamek's face, "yes, yes, perfect. That should do it."

Bowser was busily sucking his wound, "great, now why don't you get me a-" he was cut off when Kamek held up a band-aid for him to use. Narrowing his eyes, Bowser snatched the band-aid from Kamek's hand. "Smartass," he muttered, as he put the band-aid on his finger.

Kamek was still eyeing the potion, "great, now I just need to add the last two ingredients."

Bowser raised one of his eye brows, "I thought you said it was finished?"

"Well, yes, but it needs flavor now. This would taste pretty nasty without it," he said, glancing at Bowser, a withered smile on his face.

Smoke bellowed out from Bowser's nostrils. He was far from amused by his underling's actions. "Kamek, I'm getting angry!"

Not at all phased by his master's temper, but all too aware that he should stop trying his patience, Kamek grabbed a lemon and a lime, fresh from Dry Dry Desert, and crushed the two fruits together over the flask. Their juices mixed as they fell into the potion. Once Kamek was convinced he had squeezed as mush juice out of the two fruits, he threw them aside, and stirred the mixture for what he hoped was the final time.

After a few seconds of careful stirring, he turned his eyes to his lord. "There, now it's done."

Bowser grabbed the potion from the table and examined it. "Great, so now we'll… uh," he was at a loss for words. He glanced at Kamek, "what came next?"

An amused smile crossed Kamek's face, "Now, we deliver this potion to Princess Peach, without her knowing who sent it of course. Once she drinks the potion, she'll be under your spell, your evilness. She'll be hopelessly in love with you. You'll finally have her all to yourself."

Bowser turned his eyes back to the potion he held in his hand, a wicked smile crossing his face. "So simple, so easy, I really should've thought of it sooner." Holding the potion up over his head, he exclaimed, "finally, once and for all Peach will be mine!" His expression darkened as his thoughts turned to the one man who could ruin everything, "and this time, Mario won't be able to save her." Bowser threw his head back and let out a hearty, evil laugh that echoed all throughout the castle cellar.

AN: Well, there you go the start to a hopefully decent story. Also, if anyone is wondering why I'm using Kamek and not Kammy, the simple answer is I just like Kamek more then Kammy. Hope you stick around for the next chapter.


	2. An Unexpected Gift

**Chapter 1: An Unexpected Gift**

It was a beautiful spring day in the Mushroom Kingdom. The birds were singing, the sun was shining and the flowers were in full bloom. It was the kind of day that found many toads outside their homes enjoying the great weather as they went about their daily routines. The hustle and bustle of the kingdom was always at its height at this time of the year.

Within the pristine walls of Peach's Castle, in the chambers that served as the beloved princess' bed room, the princess herself could not contain the joy she felt for the day. Sitting at her dresser, quietly humming to herself as she listened to the birds sing from her open balcony window, she put the finishing touches on a letter she was writing. Reading over the letter carefully, she reached for an envelope to her left. Placing the letter inside and sealing it shut, she slowly got up from her seat and walked out onto the balcony.

The sun's warmth immediately greeted her as she stepped out into its warm rays. Peach closed her eyes and sighed as she allowed the warmth of the sun to wash over her body. A gentle breeze flew from the north lightly tossing her golden blond hair around as it cooled her face. A warm smile spread across the princess' face as she slowly opened her eyes and walked closer to the balcony.

Casting her glance up to the sky, she watched as the clouds gently drifted along the infinite expanse, completely at the mercy of the wind. An odd shape in the sky caught her attention as it was moving against the wind. The object appeared to be coming towards her. Narrowing her eyes she tried to make out just what it was. As the object approached, she could make out wings, a shell and a pair of pilot goggles on the objects head. A small giggle escaped the princess' mouth. '_Just the guy I needed to see_.'

She waved her right hand in greeting at the approaching paratroopa. "Parakarry, down here!" she called, as the paratroopa finally descended down to her eye level.

"Good morning, Princess Peach. You have a letter for me to deliver, your highness?" he asked.

Peach spoke, "I do, but you know you don't have to be so formal with me, Parakarry. We're both friends here."

A small blush creped onto Parakarry's face, "Um, yes, I know that, your highn- er, Peach… so, where's this letter?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Peach smiled and held up the letter, handing it to Parakarry. "Here you go. Now, be sure to deliver it immediately."

"Not to worry, there's not a postman around who can deliver a letter faster then I can," he said, pocketing the letter in his delivery bag. Turning his eyes back to the princess, "I better be going, farewell, your highness."

Peach placed her hands on her hips, a small "eh-hmm" emanating from her mouth. Parakarry got the hint "uh, farewell Peach." Peach nodded her head in approval, and the winged postman took that as his cue to take off.

Peach watched as Parakarry disappeared from sight, knowing that her letter would arrive where it needed to go much faster now that he was on the job. Turning her attention away from the sky, Peach gazed out into the castle courtyard.

She sighed as she looked out at the magnificent site. The flowers in the garden were finally in full bloom after surviving yet another harsh winter. The fountain, which served as the courtyard's center piece, stood majestically, stalwart and strong, just like the stone it was carved from; its crystal clear water reflecting the rays of the sun making the fountain appear to glow. The hedge maze she had put in last year was finally pruned and ready for use today, and the trees had regained their leaves. The birds perched themselves on the branches of the many trees in her courtyard, singing their songs as they sheltered themselves in the shade of the trees. The breeze again tossed the princess' hair around as she closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds of the nature that surrounded her.

"Good day, princess," said a voice directly behind her.

Peach yelped as she was shaken out of her peaceful state and turned to face her unexpected guest. Standing before her was a mustachioed toad with a walking cane. She sighed, "Oh Toadsworth, it's you."

Toadsworth chuckled, "sorry, my princess, I seem to have startled you."

"Oh no, it's quite alright," she said, shaking her head, "but next time, please try knocking before entering."

Toadsworth smiled, "I did, your highness, quite a few times actually."

Peach blushed, "Oh, oops," she said, a nervous giggle escaping her mouth.

"Anyway, I came her to tell you that a package just arrived for you, your highness."

This peeked Peach's interest, as well as her confusion. "But Parakarry was just here. He didn't have anything for me."

Toadsworth stroked his mustache, "well, maybe he forgot to give it to you and just dropped it off by the door. Either that, or it was another postman."

Peach considered this, "I suppose you're right… so, where's this package?"

Toadsworth reached behind him, "right here," he said, pulling out an ordinary looking brown box.

Peach eyed the box curiously, "who's it from?"

Toadsworth examined the box, looking at it from every angle for any suggestion as to who it was from. After a few seconds of fruitless searching, he looked up at the princess. "It doesn't say," he said, placing the box in front of the princess.

Lifting the box up into her hands, Peach examined the box as well. "Odd, hmm… well, I suppose we should at least open it," She said, walking over to her dresser to retrieve her letter opener.

Toadsworth followed behind her majesty, "You're highness, are you sure about this? We don't know who it's from. It could be anything. It could be a bob-omb, for all we know! Oh dear, someone could be trying to kill you, your highness!"

Peach giggled, "Oh, Toadsworth, you always assume the worst. I'm sure it's nothing dangerous," she said, grabbing her letter opener. "Now watch, nothing is going to happen," She said, as she stabbed the letter opener into the package and began cutting through the packing tape. Peach placed the letter opener on the table and opened the package.

She immediately jumped back, both hands covering her mouth as a shocked gasp escaped her mouth.

Toadsworth immediately went into over protective guardian mode. He rushed over to the princess, "What?! What was it your highness?!" Peach said nothing, just stared, horror stricken, at the box. Toadsworth turned from the princess and carefully walked towards the box.

'_Maybe it is a bob-omb, or maybe a rabid goomba, or maybe… maybe,_' his thoughts trailed off as he neared the box. Carefully, cautiously he peeked into the box.

He furrowed his mustache, there was nothing threatening in the box, just a flask holding a light green liquid. Toadsworth turned his head towards the princess who was now looking at him with a playful smile on her face instead of the fear filled one she had a few seconds earlier. Toadsworth frowned, "I really wish you wouldn't tease me like that, your highness. You know my old heart can't take that kind of fright."

"And who's fault is that?" she said, her playful smile not vanishing.

Toadsworth turned his face away from the princess, an embarrassed blush crossing his face. "Well, I'm just concerned about you, is all."

Peach sighed, "Yes, I know, but I'm a grown woman now. I don't need you constantly doting over me. Honestly, I'm worried about you. All this tension isn't good for you. I think you should take a vacation, Toadsworth."

"And let you out of my sight for that long? Absolutely not, I'd be too worried about all the trouble you'd get into to even enjoy myself."

Peach smiled as she shook her head, "Fine, so what's in the box?" She said, her attention returning to the anonymous package.

Toadsworth reached into the box, and pulled out the corked flask. There was a note attached to it. Tearing the note off, Toadsworth read, "To her Royal Highness Princess Peach, from the Kingdom of Sassafras." Toadsworth raised an eyebrow at the name, "I've never heard of that kingdom."

Peach shook her head, confirming she'd never heard of the kingdom either.

Toadsworth continued reading, "We present to you a special elixir that will preserve your youthful beauty so that all people will be able to enjoy your glorious visage for generations to come."

Peach smiled, "Well, isn't that thoughtful of them."

Toadsworth seemed uneasy, "I don't know your majesty. We've never heard of this kingdom before, and why would they hide the fact of who sent it until after the package was opened? I'm not sure we should trust this gift. For all we know, it could be poison from some devilish trickster."

Peach sighed, "Toadsworth, I think you're being overly cautious again, but still…" Peach gazed at the green liquid in the flask. She had to admit, there was something about that potion that made her uneasy.

Turning her attention away from the flask, she wondered if her letter reached its destination.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an isolated spot away from Toad Town sat the house of the world renown hero, Mario, and his not so world renown brother, Luigi.

Mario sat at the huge circular table in his living room. He and his brother had just finished their breakfast and were lounging around, enjoying the breeze blowing through the open windows in their house.

Mario leaned back in his chair; eyes closed, and breathed in the fresh air that seeped in through the windows. Along with the sound of the wind, he could also hear the birds singing outside in the yard. Pushing his feet into the ground, Mario balanced his chair on its two hind legs and slowly began rocking it by moving his legs.

"Hey bro, what do you think about us doing the yard work today?"

Mario cracked his eyes opened and regarded his brother. "Hmm, sure, why not?" he said, firmly planting all four legs of his chair on the ground again. "It's a nice enough day for it."

Luigi smiled, "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I suppose we could start with the tree in the front yar-" he was cut off by a sound from outside.

Both brothers turned to look at the door. Mario was the first to speak. "Mail's here already? Parakarry seems to be getting faster."

Luigi got up out of his seat. "I'll get it," he said, walking out the door.

A few seconds later, Luigi returned with a single letter in hand. "Hey Mario, you got a letter from Princess Peach."

Mario's eyes lit up at the very mention of the princess' name. Since she was the one who sent the letter, he had a pretty good idea as to what she wanted.

"Want me to read it to you, bro?" Luigi asked, about to open the letter.

"Luigi, I'm not illiterate. I can read the letter myself," he said, getting out of his chair and heading towards his brother.

Luigi quickly held the letter up over his head before his brother could reach it. "I know, it's just that I enjoy-"

"Snooping?" Mario interjected, holding his hand out for the letter.

Luigi looked offended, "It is not snooping! I'm just… curious."

"Sure," Mario said, a smile crossing his face. Seeing the pleading look in his brother's eyes, Mario relented. "Fine, go ahead and read it."

Delighted, Luigi opened the envelope and removed the letter. "Dear Mario, it's a gorgeous day today. In fact, I think it's a fine day to spend some time in the castle courtyard. I would be delighted if you'd come to the castle and join me. Yours truly, Peach."

Luigi looked up at his brother after reading the letter. "Well, I guess that means the yard work will have to wait."

Mario felt some remorse for having to leave his brother behind again. "Sorry, bro… you know, I could just stay home this onc-"

Luigi would hear none of it. "No, you go to the castle and spend time with Peach. Don't worry about the yard work, I can handle it myself."

Mario considered this for a moment, "Well… if you really don't mind."

Luigi shook his head, "No, not at all. Go have fun with Peach. Just don't de anything I wouldn't do," he said, giving Mario a wink.

Mario understood Luigi's meaning all too well. "Don't worry, I'll be good," he said, a smile crossing his face.

"Well, you better get going. You don't want to keep her waiting," he said, opening the door for Mario.

Nodding his head, Mario walked out the door into the front yard. He heard the door close behind him as he stood out on the porch. Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Mario walked off the porch and strolled over to the warp pipe that would take him to Toad Town. Though he didn't want to leave Luigi alone, Mario was delighted at the opportunity to spend time with the princess. With a smile on his face, Mario jumped down the warp pipe and started his journey to Peach's Castle.

* * *

Peach was sitting at her dresser, brushing her hair as she awaited Mario's arrival. She watched her reflection as she quickly combed out any imperfections in her hair. Her eyes shifted to the right side of her mirror, where she saw the reflection of the untouched flask of green liquid. She stopped her brushing, and stared at the reflection.

Toadsworth's warning about the concoction was still firmly implanted in her mind. At first she thought he was just being his overly protective self, but she had to admit that while she couldn't put her finger on it, something about that potion made her uneasy.

Placing her brush back on the table, Peach got up from her seat and walked over to the table where the flask sat. She stared at it, reaching out to take hold of it. Picking the flask up, she looked it over. She could see nothing out of the ordinary as far as the flask itself was concerned. Her thoughts immediately turned to the note that came with the flask.

'_A strange gift from an unknown kingdom… I hate to admit it, but maybe Toadsworth is right. Perhaps it's best not test what the note said about this potion._' She thought, as she placed the flask back on the table.

Someone began knocking on the door to her chambers, "Your highness, Mario's here to see you."

Delighted to have something to get her mind off the vile looking concoction, Princess Peach turned to the door. "Send him in, please."

The door opened and Princess Peach was greeted by the familiar red capped, blue and red garbed hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. A kind smile spread across Peach's face, "Hello Mario, it's wonderful to see you again."

Mario couldn't help but smile, seeing the princess always made him happy. "Hello Peach, you're looking lovely as usual."

"Why thank you Mario," she said, turning to look outside. "It's so beautiful outside today. Did you want to go out into the courtyard for a bit? We could explore the hedge maze," she said, turning her gaze back to Mario.

Mario nodded, "Sure that sounds like fu-"

Another individual was knocking on the Princess' door. "Princess?"

Peach sighed, "Yes?"

The door opened and Toadsworth poked his head in. "Oh, sorry to interrupt Princess, but there was something I need to discuss with you… in private," he said, casting a glance at Mario.

Peach sighed but nodded, "Alright, I'm coming," she said, as Toadsworth walked away from the door. Peach turned her attention to Mario. "I'm sorry about this Mario. It should only take a second."

Mario shrugged, "Well, what can you do? I'll just wait for you right here."

"Thanks, this shouldn't take me too long." She said, as she walked out the door, closing it behind her.

With Peach gone, Mario looked around the room. It was exactly as he remembered it, pink carpet with white walls, art work hanging on some of the walls, vases with flowers in them, her dressing room, her large, pink bed, and the windowed door leading to the balcony. Mario dubbed the room way too girly for his tastes, but considering how well he knew Peach; it was the perfect room for her.

His gaze was immediately caught by something placed on one of the princess' tables. It was a flask which contained a green liquid. Mario eyed it curiously. Compared to everything else in the room, it looked like the only thing that didn't belong here.

He walked over to the table and picked up the flask. He examined the liquid closely and wondered what it could be. In all his adventures, he'd never seen a liquid like this.

'_Hmm, maybe it's a new kind of Tasty Tonic or something_,' he thought, as he continued his examination.

Suddenly, Mario became consciously aware of the fact that his throat was feeling pretty dry. He frowned, apparently the trip here had dehydrated him a bit more then he had thought. Looking at the liquid, it was starting to look very tempting.

'_I'm sure Peach won't mind if I take a sip_,' he thought, as he removed the cork from the flask. Bringing the flask up to his mouth, Mario carefully tilted it allowing the liquid to touch his lips before opening them and allowing a small portion of the liquid into his mouth.

Mario's eyes widened at the taste of the elixir. It was a perfect blend of lemon and lime and another flavor he couldn't really identify. Allowing the liquid to swish around in his mouth a bit to savor the rich flavor, Mario finally gulped down the first sip.

Suddenly, as if some unseen force were forcing him, Mario tilted the flask and began greedily gulping down the rest of the potion. He gulped down as much as he could, potion spilling out the sides of his mouth in his haste until every last drop of the rich liquid was gone. After every last drop was gone, Mario moved the flask away from his mouth, sighing in delight as he placed it back on the table while wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

'_Wow, that was incredible. I wonder what kind of drink it was.'_ He thought.

Suddenly, Mario's head began to feel hazy as the room began spinning before his very eyes. He grabbed on to the table to steady himself and closed his eyes. His head felt like it was floating in a lake of fog as the plumber tried to regain all sense of perception.

As quickly as it started, the effects soon began to fade. It felt like a wall in his mind had just come tumbling down, and now the mind's eye of Mario began glimpsing a familiar visage. With every second that passed the figure became clearer, until finally, he was left looking at a large reptilian figure, with a spiked shell, flaming red hair, and spiked armbands and collar.

Mario slowly opened his eyes, a smile slowly developing, "You know, I think I'll go see what Bowser's up to," he said, as he glanced out on to the balcony. He knew he'd attract attention if he tried to leave through the front door, but not if he took the back door.

Running towards the open door, Mario leaped off the balcony and made a run through the courtyard. It wasn't long before he was off the castle grounds and was on his way to Bowser's Castle.

Peach opened the door and sighed as she closed it behind her. "Sorry about that Mario. That took longer then I expe-" She stopped when she realized she was just talking to herself. Mario was nowhere to be seen.

"Mario?" she called as she walked further into her room.

She looked over at her dressing area; no Mario there. She walked out on to the balcony and scanned the courtyard. No sign of Mario there either. Turning back into her room, Peach got down on her knees and looked under her bed. No Mario in sight.

Sighing, she stood up, "Mario, if this is a game I'm not having fun."

Scanning her room for anything out of place, Peach's eyes came to rest on the flask, the empty flask. Peach made an alarmed noise, and moved towards the flask. Picking it up, she saw that there wasn't a drop left of the liquid that once filled it.

'_Did Mario drink this? What am I thinking, of course he did, he was the only one in the room, except he's not here now, and if he's not here, where is he_?'

Peach placed the flask back on the table and eyed it suspiciously. Could that liquid have been responsible for Mario's disappearance? Peach shook her head; speculating was doing her no good.

She walked over to her bedroom door and opened it. She poked her head outside and looked at the toad sentry on duty. "Excuse me, did you see Mario by any chance?"

The guard shook his head, "No Princess, I haven't seen him."

Now Peach was worried. "Can you do me a favor and go find him? Search the castle grounds."

The toad saluted, "Yes Princess." The toad marched off to do his duty.

Peach closed the door and retreated back out on to the balcony. Staring out at the courtyard she wondered just where in the world Mario could be. While she had no idea where he was, she sincerely hoped that wherever he was, he was alright.


	3. The Unexpected Guest

**Chapter 2: The Unexpected Guest**

Bowser sat upon his throne in his dimly lit throne room. Two rivers of lava ran down either side of his throne, illuminating the room with its dim glow. The path towards his throne was covered with a fine, red carpet and black stone pillars lined the walkway; a torch set on each column.

Bowser leaned his head back against his throne, contemplating what he'd do when his "guest" arrived. He already had a plan in mind, and began running through it in his head. When the princess arrived, he'd show her around the castle for a bit, have dinner with her in the dining chamber of his recently constructed flagship, and then take her to his room for a more "private" conversation.

A smile crossed Bowser's face as he propped his head up on his closed right fist, eagerly eyeing the entrance to his throne room. All he had to do now was wait for word of Peach's arrival, and then his fun could begin.

Bowser snapped to attention when he saw the doors to his throne room open. Kamek came running into the throne room, collapsing on the ground completely out of breath.

This was not what Bowser had been expecting. "What's up with you Kamek? What's the big rush?"

Kamek stared up at his lord with worried eyes. "M-my lord, it's, it's-"

"It's What?! Out with it already!" He roared.

Kamek took a deep breath and calmed down. "Uh your nastiness… Mario's on his way to the castle."

Bowser would've fallen over in his own seat if it hadn't been attached to the floor. His jaw dropped, eyes nearly popping out of his head.

Realizing how absurd he must look, he shook his head and regained his composure. "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. WHO is coming?!" he said, a hint of menace and worry in his voice.

Kamek got back up to his feet. "My lord, Mario's here at the castle. He just got through the front gate and is on his way here."

Bowser bolted up out of his seat. "What's he doing here? I haven't even kidnapped Peach… yet," muttering that last part under his breath.

Kamek was at a loss for an explanation. "I'm not sure, my lord. Perhaps… perhaps he found out about the potion."

Bowser cursed under his breath, "How, how'd he find out?"

"I'm not sure my lord. All I know is that he's coming here right now. Your men are trying to stop him, but I doubt they'll do more then buy us a few minutes to prepare."

Bowser narrowed his eyes. Leave it to Mario to foil even the simplest of his plans. "Fine, is the room ready? I'm not going to fight him here in the throne room."

"Um, no my lord. We've had no time to prepare."

A low hiss escaped Bowser's mouth as smoke erupted from his nostrils. "It'll have to do. Come on, shake a leg, you old coot," he said, running for the door. Kamek quickly followed behind him.

Bowser rushed out of his throne room and made his way to his own personal training room. If it was a fight Mario wanted, Bowser was going to give it to him ten fold.

* * *

Mario dodged yet another bullet bill as he ran down one of the many corridors in Bowser's Castle. Diving down one of the hallways to his right to avoid another bullet bill, Mario was greeted by a company of four hammer bros. Mario smiled, Bowser always knew how to give him a warm welcome.

One of the hammer bros threw his hammer into the sky at Mario. Mario jumped up into the air and grasped the handle of the hammer. Flipping in the air, he swung the hammer down on the hammer bros. head, knocking him out.

Another hammer bro took a swing at him. Mario ducked the attack, and swung his leg out at the hammer bro, tripping him and forcing him to fall flat on his shell, unable to get up.

Mario swung around and slammed the hammer he "borrowed" right into the belly of the hammer bro closest to him. The hammer bro doubled over, completely winded.

Noticing the other hammer bro trying to sneak in a cheap shot, Mario jumped into the air and landed on the Hammer bros head, forcing him to withdraw into his shell.

With his opponents defeated, Mario looked down the hallway. That's when he noticed a squadron of kopatrol was blocking his path. Deciding that charging them, hammer swinging, would be suicide he looked around at what he had available to work with. Spying the shell of the still withdrawn hammer bro, an idea began to form in Mario's head.

Putting one foot on the shell, Mario looked down the corridor at the assembled kopatrol. With a determined look crossing his face, Mario kicked off with his other foot and began skating towards the kopatrol, using the shell as a pseudo skateboard. As soon as he got closer to the squadron, he jumped into the air.

The shell collided with the koptarol blocking the hallway and mowed right through them. Spinning in the air, Mario managed to land right back on top of the shell as he continued his trek down the hall.

He wasn't out of danger yet, as he noticed two kopatrols heading right for him. Taking his hammer out, he ducked a blow from the first kopatrol he reached and swung his hammer at its legs, knocking the koopa's legs out from under him.

He turned his attention to the second Kopatrol and slammed his hammer on its head before it could react, knocking the poor creature out completely.

With the immediate threat behind him now, Mario continued towards the throne room where his target awaited.

As soon as Mario got within sight of the doors to the throne room, he hopped of the shell and allowed it to crash down a flight of stairs near the door. Placing both hands on the massive doors, Mario pushed forward and opened the doors to the throne room.

Gazing inside he saw… nothing. The room was completely empty. Disappointed, Mario wondered just where Bowser could've gone. Racking his brain for an answer, Mario remembered a large room near here that served as Bowser's personal training room. Deciding that this was as good a guess as any, Mario ran off to the practice room.

* * *

Bowser and Kamek were busily preparing the training room for Mario's arrival. So far, he and Kamek had been pretty unsuccessful in getting much of anything prepared. As fate would have it, much of the equipment Bowser usually kept in here was in the other training room, and what little he did have wasn't going to be much use against Mario.

Bowser had just grabbed a hold of a hammer when he heard the door to the training room creak open. Dropping the hammer, and narrowly missing his toe, Bowser turned around to face the door. There, standing in the middle of the doorway was his number one archrival.

Bowser did not like this situation at all. He was completely unprepared to face Mario. Mario had effectively caught him with his pants down… well, if he wore any pants.

Bowser shook his head and got his game face on. He was unprepared, but he'd sooner die then let Mario know that he caught him off guard. "Mario!" he bellowed, stalking towards the stocky plumber. "What the hell are you doing here?! Peach isn't even with me! You've got some nerve barging into my castle like you own the place!" Taking his fist, he punched it into the palm of his other hand as he glared at Mario. "Why don't I show you the way out!"

Mario seemed none too concerned about Bowser's threat. "I'm not here because of Peach. I'm here because of you," he said, adding emphasis to the last word.

Bowser raised an eyebrow at that. Mario came all the way here just to fight him. Looking as far back as the Koopa King could, Mario's never been one to pick a fight with him unless he had a reason to.

Bowser shook the thoughts aside and stared down at the plumber. "If you came all this way to fight me, then I won't disappoint you," he said, getting into his fighting stance.

Mario smiled, "No, I don't mean that. I mean I'm here because you're here and wherever you are is where I want to be."

Bowser dropped his guard as he began processing what Mario just said. "You wanna what? Uh, run that by me again."

"What I mean is I want to be around you," he said, moving closer to Bowser. Mario reached out and took Bowser's hand in his. He looked at it as if seeing it for the first time. This same fist which had tried to kill him on countless occasions was now in his hands. Mario couldn't help but admire the sheer strength he could feel in just this one limb. Mario moved his hand up Bowser's hand to his arm, feeling the power coursing through the limb.

Bowser stared at Mario in awed shock. "What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled as he pulled his arm out of Mario's grip.

A playful smile crossed Mario's face. "Playing hard to get huh? Alright, I'm game," he said, as he advanced closer to Bowser.

"Playing hard to- what?! Mario… I didn't hit you too hard in the head the last time we fought did I?" He said, backing away from the advancing plumber.

"Not at all. I feel fine; it's just that I'm starting to see what an alluring figure you are," he said, moving one step closer to each one step Bowser took back.

Bowser was stunned beyond belief. Was Mario… hitting on him?

He continued backing away from the plumber until his shell touched the wall. Bowser frantically searched around for any route of escape. His eyes fell on Kamek; the old Magikoopa was just standing there regarding everything that was going on. Bowser cursed the old Koopa for ignoring his plight, and realizing he had nowhere else to run, Bowser tried getting back into his fighting stance.

Mario halted a few feet away from the Koopa King. "Look Bowser, as much as I enjoy fighting you why don't you and I try something different? I'm sure there's somewhere… private we could go to work out our differences," he said, with a sly smile.

Bowser was at a complete loss for words. If he didn't know any better he'd think Mario was asking him to… no, there was just no way. This was some kind of bad dream. Bowser prayed to the stars above for someone to save him from this predicament.

"Mario," called a voice in the room.

Mario and Bowser both turned to face Kamek. The old koopa trained his gaze on Mario. "Mario, did you, by chance, go to see the princess early this morning?"

Mario nodded his head, "Yeah, I went to see Peach."

"Did she have a flask with her? A flask that contained a green liquid?"

"Yes, she did."

"Did you, by chance," he gulped, "drink any of that liquid?"

Mario nodded, "Yeah, I drank the whole thing. Now, if you're done with your twenty questions, I think Bowser and I have some things to do," he said, turning his full attention on Bowser again.

Kamek held up a hand, "Actually, Mario, I need to speak with my lord for a minute. Can you wait for a bit?"

Mario sighed, and leaned up against the wall with his back. "Fine," he shot a glance at Bowser, "but don't keep me waiting too long, alright?" he said with a smile.

Thankful for the timely intervention, Bowser wasted no time in moving over towards Kamek. As soon as he got with speaking range, he lowered his head to Kamek's level.

"What is going on here? Is Mario touched in the head or something?" he whispered, so that Mario wouldn't overhear.

"No, my lord, he's not. I'm afraid that… well… it seems that… Mario drank the love potion."

Bowser's eyes flared up as this news sank in. "HE WHAT?!"

Kamek flinched away from his lord's voice, and covered his ears. "Please, your loudness, try to speaker softer. We don't want him hearing us."

Bowser nodded and lowered his voice again. "You mean to tell me that I sent a potion to catch a princess and I caught a plumber instead?"

"I know it seems bad, my lord."

Bowser narrowed his eyes, "Bad doesn't even begin to describe it. This is a disaster," pointing at Kamek, "You better have a cure for this!"

Kamek glanced down at his feet. "Well, no, I didn't think to make one." Noticing that his lord was about to lose it again, he quickly added, "But the effects of the potion are temporary, your evilness."

As this news sank in, Bowser calmed down. "How long?"

"A few days" Kamek stated matter of factly.

Noticing his lord's temper flare up again, Kamek quickly tried to calm him. "Well, it'll only be for a few days, sire. How bad can it be?"

"That's easy for you to say. You don't have a short, pudgy, mustachioed, love struck plumber lusting after you," he growled.

"Touché, my lord. Well, I suppose you could always kill him."

Bowser considered this, but ultimately rejected it. "No, when I kill him, it'll be because I'm better then him, not because of some potion."

Kamek's eyes lit up as an idea began forming in his mind. "I've got it, my lord. While Mario's under the influence of the potion, I'm sure he'd be willing to reveal anything to you if you asked. For instance, his weaknesses, or perhaps how to reach Peach's heart."

Bowser closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. It was a chance to find out his archrival's weaknesses and a sure fire way to find out how to win over Peach. A smile crossed his face as he slowly opened his eyes and looked over at Mario.

He was still leaning against the wall with his head tilted towards the ground. As if he knew he was being watched, he looked up and stared directly at Bowser. A smile crossed his face as he waved in greeting at the Lizard Tyrant.

The smile left Bowser's face as he turned back to face Kamek. "I don't know if I can do this."

Kamek smiled, "You can your nastiness. The prize will be well worth it. Just play along, and in the meantime I'll go make another potion, and this one is sure to reach its target."

Bowser sighed and nodded, "Alright, but I have a feeling I'm not going to like this," he said, as he moved away from Kamek.

Seeing Bowser approach him, Mario stood back up. "So, you two done?"

Bowser nodded, "Yeah, so… uh… why don't I show you around the castle."

Mario raised an eyebrow. "Bowser, I've been to this place more times then I can count. I doubt you'd be able to show me something I haven't already seen."

"You'd be surprised. Now are you coming or not?" he asked, turning towards the door.

Mario shrugged, "Why not, I guess as long as you're with me it'll be fun," he said, walking beside the burly Koopa King.

Bowser looked down at him, "yeah… fun."

He cast a glance over his shoulder at Kamek. The old koopa just smiled and nodded his head. Bowser sighed and turned his attention back to Mario.

'_This is going to be a long day_,' he thought, as he and Mario walked out of the training room.

* * *

Peach paced around her room. It had been thirty minutes since she sent her royal servant looking for Mario, and he still hadn't returned. Peach sighed as she looked out at her balcony. A perfect day… ruined.

Suddenly, she heard someone knocking at her door.

Without even waiting for a response, she rushed to the door and opened it. The sight that greeted her was not what she had hoped. Her lone toad sentry stood there at attention.

"You're highness, I'm sorry, I could find no trace of Mario anywhere in the palace."

Peach's hands fell to her side as she let out a worried sigh. It's just as she feared, Mario was nowhere in the palace. If he wasn't in the palace, then where was he? Closing her eyes, she began thinking of what to do next.

After a few seconds of careful contemplation, she opened her eyes and looked down at her toad sentry. "Order the guards to search the town. Send messages throughout the kingdom. Have everyone on the lookout for Mario."

The guard saluted, "Yes princess." He dashed off, without another word, to perform his duties.

Once the guard was out of sight, Peach walked out of her room, a look of stern conviction on her face as she walked towards the exit to the castle. She wasn't going to sit back and have the guards do all the work. She was going to help find Mario, and she decided to start by going to see the one person who might know where he went.


	4. The First Day

A/N: sorry this took so long. I hope it's worth the wait.

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* * *

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Chapter 3: The First Day

It had been over an hour since Bowser took Mario around the castle. Bowser had never walked so much in his life. It always surprised him just how big his castle really was.

He had shown Mario around the cellar and was currently working his way up to the upper floors, with Mario in tow.

Bowser sighed, he could've been doing this with Peach, but no, the idiot plumber had to go and ruin everything for him. Now he was stuck babysitting his archrival, for some hair brained idea Kamek came up with. Bowser clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. This was all Kamek's fault. When this was all over, he was going to make sure Kamek paid dearly for this.

"Are you alright?" Mario asked, looking up at the tyrant.

Bowser shot Mario a wicked look, and Mario quickly backed off. "Fine, sorry I asked," he said, falling into step beside Bowser again.

After a few seconds of prolonged silence, Mario spoke, "You know Bowser, as much as I'm enjoying this little tour I think there's one room you haven't shown me yet."

Bowser turned his eyes to the plumber. "And that room would be?"

"Your bedroom," he said, a playful smirk crossing his face.

Bowser stopped in his tracks and regarded Mario. "Haven't you been to my bedroom before?"

Mario shook his head. "Nope, I've never had a reason to go there, but maybe now I do," He said.

Bowser wasn't entirely sure he liked the tone in Mario's voice on that last part of his sentence or that look in his eyes. Turning from Mario, Bowser sighed. "Fine, I guess we're heading to my bedroom."

Ascending the stairs to the top floor, Bowser and Mario stopped in front of a set of large doors. Bowser pushed the doors open and was greeted by the site of his own bedroom.

Much like his throne room, it too was a cavernous room with black pillars touching the ceiling; torches secured to each pillar. Along the side of either wall was a small stream of lava that faintly illuminated the room. Windows lined the upper parts of the walls. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, moving towards Bowser's bed. The bed itself was large enough to fit Bowser himself. It was especially made for him as part of the bed was designed to allow him to rest on his shell if he felt like it. There was a door near his bed that also lead to his own personal bathroom. Unlike the throne room, there was no carpeting, just black stone.

Bowser turned to Mario and watched as the plumber entered his room and looked around the place.

Mario regarded his surroundings, "Wow, this is nothing like Peach's room… I like it," he said, smiling.

Bowser unintentionally smiled, pleased that someone else appreciated his room, even if the particular someone happened to be his archrival. "I designed it myself. Had it custom made to a T."

Mario glanced over to the bed and noticed a carving of Bowser's face over the bed and numerous Bowser statues near the pillars. "So I noticed… but, it's missing something."

Bowser raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?" He asked, completely lost as to what he could have possibly forgotten.

Mario pointed at him, "You," he pointed at himself, "and me," he pointed to the bed, "in the bed."

Bowser's eyes about popped out of his head. Suddenly, having Mario in his bed room was beginning to seem like a bad idea, a very bad idea.

"Uh, maybe… maybe another time, like never," he said, muttering the last part under his breath.

Mario nodded, "sure, no problem. I can wait. After all, I've been waiting for years, what's the harm in waiting a little longer? Just let me know when you're ready."

"Uh, sure," Bowser said, feeling quite awkward in this situation.

"So, which side of the bed do I get?" Mario asked, turning his attention back to the bed.

The question caught Bowser completely off guard. "What?! No, you are not sleeping in my bed!"

Mario turned to Bowser, frowning. "Well then, where do you suggest I sleep?"

"The guest room, where else?" Bowser stated.

Mario sighed, "Oh, come on. I just want to sleep in your bed."

"Absolutely not!" Bowser roared. "Besides, the bed's only big enough to fit me. The only way you could sleep in it would be if you slept on top of me."

Mario's eyes lit up. "Well, I don't see that being much of a problem at all," he said, that sly smile returning to his face.

Bowser slapped his hand against his forehead and slowly dragged it down his face. He should've known better then to say that in front of Mario. He had to get out of this room, but where? He had shown Mario every inch of his castle. Well, everything except for… realization dawned on Bowser.

Of course, that place would do. It'd at least get him out of his room, and hopefully keep Mario's mind off his bedroom.

"Mario, there's still one room I haven't shown you yet," he said, turning to leave his room.

This caught Mario's interest. "Oh, and what room would that be?"

Bowser walked out the door, and turned to Mario. "Follow me and find out." He said, turning down the corridor.

Mario wasted no time in following him out of his room.

* * *

Bowser led Mario down to the basement, making sure to keep his distance from the plumber at all times. Eventually, he stopped in front of a large, richly adorned, door. Placing both hands on the door, Bowser slowly pushed them open to reveal a large, dark and cavernous room. Walking into the room, Bowser flipped a switch to his right. On command, the lights in the room immediately came up. The sight before the two archrivals was a sight that never failed to impress Bowser.

Before them was an incredibly large airship, at least 500 meters long and at least 50 meters high. Both sides of the ship were littered with cannons and Bullet Bill Launchers. The figurehead was a stone sculpture of Bowser's head, complete with cannons in each eye and a fireball launcher in the mouth. As per usual, Bowser's visage adorned each of the sails and the flags that were attached to the ship.

Bowser heard a low whistle from behind him. He turned and saw Mario starring up at the ship, an impressed expression on his face. Despite himself, Bowser smiled, pleased that someone seemed impressed with his latest project.

Mario turned his gaze toward Bowser, "Impressive"

"Yeah, it's my new flagship. It's much better than the one you-" Remembering who he was talking to, Bowser narrowed his eyes "destroyed!"

Not phased at all by Bowser's accusation, Mario returned his gaze to the ship. "Well, think this one'll be able to stand up to me?" His gaze returning back to Bowser, a glint of challenge emanating from them.

Bowser looked back at his ship, mentally calling up what he could remember about the ship's defenses. He couldn't remember much, but one thing that did come up was the constant memory of how much the whole thing cost him. The price was astronomical. "It better for what I had to pay to build it," he muttered under his breath.

"Huh?" Came the confused inquiry.

Bowser shook his head to clear his mind, "Nevermind, how about we climb aboard?" he asked, grabbing a nearby ladder and raising it up to the side of the ship.

"Dare I refuse that invitation," Mario said, as he walked towards the ladder and began climbing up on to the ship, followed shortly by Bowser.

When he got to the top, Mario glanced around the deck. From what he could tell, he was near the captain's cabin. Walking over to one of the ship's masts, Mario placed his hand on it and looked all the way up to the crow's nest. He noticed that one of Bowser's flags, bearing his face, of course, was mounted atop the crow's nest.

Mario heard a loud thud behind him, and turned to see that Bowser had just boarded the ship.

Bowser's eyes wondered the ship, taking it all in again. Sure, it wasn't the first time he'd ever been on the ship, but it filled him with so much pride to see such a massive vessel just waiting to be used by him. His gazed eventually fell on Mario. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"Well, it's not the first time I've seen one of your ships, but," he glanced down the rest of the deck looking at all the concealed hatches that no doubt housed many a Bullet Bill Launcher ready to be used at a moment's notice, "I see you've added a few things."

Bowser strode up next to Mario, "yeah, isn't it great? This entire ship is one big death trap. Specifically tailored to put an end to one particular person," he said, eyeing Mario.

Mario glanced up at Bowser, "you really have it in for me don't you?"

"And why shouldn't I?" he said lowering his gaze toward Mario. "Every time I try to take what I want, every time I get so close to having what should rightfully be mine, you always get in the way and ruin everything!" he said, emphasizing the last part.

Mario turned away from Bowser, as if he were regarding something. Turning back to Bowser, he stared up at his old rival. "True… or maybe you hate me because you're jealous."

Bowser's eyes narrowed, "what do you mean? Why, of all people, would I be jealous of you?"

"Because I've got everything you want. I've got the respect and admiration of the people and I've got Peach."

"That-"

Mario interrupted, "or because whenever we get into a fight, I always end up beating you. Forcing you back to your castle to lick your wounds."

Bowser clenched his fist, a vein starting to throb above his left eye. Remembering what Kamek said was the only thing holding his temper at the moment.

"Or maybe it's because whenever we do team up and save the day, I get all the credit, and you're lucky if you get so much as a pat on the shell."

A low growl escaped Bowser's mouth. "Mario, I am about this close," he held up his thumb and index claw creating a space of no less than one centimeter, "to feeding you your own mustache," he said through clenched teeth.

Mario continued, "Or maybe you hate me because, deep down, you actually like me, and have no idea how to express it, so you keep your distance and when we are forced to interact you just resort to fighting me instead and use Peach as a clever camouflage to keep everyone from knowing your true intentions." He said, a smile crossing his face.

Smoke bellowed out from Bowser's nostrils. "That's it! Screw what Kamek said, you're history plumber!" he yelled as he threw a punch at Mario.

Mario jumped backwards, narrowly evading Bowser's punch. "Well, I would've preferred a confession of feelings followed by a kiss, but if a battle's what you want, I'm game." He said, a confident smile crossing his face.

Mario looked up in time to see Bowser open his mouth and spit a fire ball right at him. Rolling to the right, Mario managed to dodge the ball of fire just in time.

Bowser jumped into the air, aiming at where Mario was and started falling down towards him, feet first.

Not one to be taken by surprise, Mario rolled out of the way just as Bowser landed on the spot where he once stood. Before Bowser could react, Mario reached out and grabbed his tail, pulling Bowser off of his feet, sending him crashing to the floor.

With his nemesis' tail firmly in hand Mario smiled as he began spinning around in place lifting Bowser off the ground due to the momentum.

As Mario continued to spin, he began to wonder if maybe he should go a little easier on Bowser. It was his fault that this happened anyway, and he'd had his fun for the moment.

Before he could slow down his rotation, he felt something tickling at his nose. Mario started flexing his nose and upper lip to try and get rid of the sensation to no avail. Unable to resist anymore, Mario sneezed and let go of Bowser's tail.

Mario watched as Bowser went soaring, head first, into the wall of the captain's cabin. Colliding with an incredible crash, Mario winced as Bowser's head went right through the wall, the rest of his body trapped outside.

"Um… oops." He muttered, as he rubbed his nose.

* * *

Bowser slowly opened his eyes and moaned as he began to feel the effects of a splitting headache. His vision was blurry as he shook his head and tried to assess what just happened to him. All he knew was that it felt like he'd just ran into a wall, head first.

He tried to move his hand up to rub his temple and felt it collide against something. Surprised, he tried moving his other arm, only to meet the same resistance. Willing his vision to clear faster, Bowser began to make out where he was. He was inside the captain's cabin. Turning his head to the right to get a look at what was going on; he saw a sight that made him do a double take. His was stuck in the wall.

This realization shocked Bowser out of his confused stupor and he immediately began struggling to free his head from the wall. Placing both hands on the other side of the wall and planting his feet firmly on the ground, Bowser began pushing and pulling trying whatever he could to get his head out of the wall. After a few seconds of futile struggling, Bowser relaxed and tried to think of another way out.

"You alright?" asked a voice from somewhere in the room.

Bowser turned his head to glance down the left side of the room and spotted Mario walking through the door to the cabin. Remembering that Mario was the reason he was stuck in the wall in the first place, Bowser was furious. "NO, I'm not alright genius! My head's stuck in the wall!" He bellowed, trying, yet again, to free himself.

Mario walked up to Bowser, watching as he struggled a few more seconds to free his head to no avail. "You're really stuck aren't you?"

Bowser rolled his eyes, "No shit, Sherlock!" He began to struggle to get out once more. "Why don't you make yourself useful and help me out!" he yelled as Mario just stared at him.

After a few more attempts Bowser stopped and regarded Mario. "Well, you gonna help me out or not?!" he asked, furious that Mario hadn't done anything yet, as he attempted to try and free himself yet again.

Suddenly, Bowser noticed a smile crossing Mario's face. "What?" he asked, as he stopped struggling.

Mario's smile only got bigger, and Bowser noticed a mischievous glint in Mario's eyes. Bowser was starting to feel uneasy. "What?" He asked, sounding a bit more nervous then he cared to be.

Bowser watched as Mario turned from him and started walking toward the door to the room. Bowser had no idea what Mario was up to, but from that look he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. "Where are you going? What are you doing!?" he yelled to Mario's retreating back, slight panic rising in his voice.

Mario looked over his shoulder, "you'll see," he said as he walked through the door, disappearing from sight.

With those cryptic words in mind, Bowser began trying to free his head with renewed vigor.

As Bowser continued struggling, he felt someone grab his foot. Letting out a surprised gasp, Bowser quickly rebalanced himself on his other foot before he fell over. His eyes narrowed as he realized who just did that.

"Mario, what the hell are you doing?!" he yelled, trying to keep a growing panic out of his voice.

That's when he felt Mario bend his leg to expose the tender underside of his foot. Bowser's eyes grew wide as he realized just what Mario was planning on doing. "Mario… don't you dare!" he growled.

"Dare do what, this?" came a muffled voice, that was undoubtedly Mario's, from the other side of the wall.

That's when Bowser felt Mario run his fingers along the bottom of his foot. Bowser could feel the sensation of Mario's touch spread all the way up his spine, eventually reaching his brain. Biting down on his lip, Bowser tried in vain to suppress the urge he felt, but he knew it was no good. With one final valiant effort Bowser finally opened his mouth and started laughing hysterically.

On the other side of the wall, a sadistic smile crossed Mario's face as he could hear the hysterical laughter of the Koopa King coming from the other side of the wall as he continued stroking Bowser's foot. Mario worked his fingers down towards the claws on Bowser's feet and began tickling the skin right where the toe bone connected to the claw, earning him more laughter from the captive koopa.

As Mario continued working away at his captive's foot, he could hear Bowser trying to say something through his fits of laughter. "S-stop-bwahah-stop that-hahahah!" he bellowed.

A mischievous glint returned to Mario's eyes, "Make me." He challenged as he continued his delightfully torturous work. He heard Bowser roar in frustration only to have it followed by more uncontrolled laughter.

Bowser started trying to kick his foot out of Mario's grasp. Mario held on tighter as Bowser tried in vain to free his foot from his captor's clutches. The more he struggled, the tighter Mario held on and the harder he tickled his captive.

Deciding to up the ante, Mario reached over and grabbed Bowser's other leg. With a surprising amount of strength, Mario hefted Bowser's other leg up off the ground and plopped it right down on his right shoulder. Placing the other leg on his left shoulder Mario began to tickle both feet simultaneously.

Mario had no idea Bowser could laugh so hard. The great koopa was in hysterics now that both his feet were under attack. Now that he had Bowser's legs at his mercy, he began probing his legs to see if he could find any ticklish spots. As he kept probing, he was rewarded with more laughter from the tyrant.

"M-Mario, when I-hahahaha-g-get out of-hahahah-this, YOU'RE DEAD!!!" Bowser roared, as he was quickly overtaken by laughter yet again.

Not phased at all by Bowser's threats Mario continued to attack not only Bowser's feet but now his legs as the huge lizard tried again and again to free himself from Mario's clutches. Eventually, Bowser's legs stopped struggling as they were too exhausted to continue anymore resistance.

Deciding that he'd work on a new area, and assured that Bowser wouldn't be able to do too much to him now, Mario moved underneath the Koopa King to his enormous underside. Smiling, Mario reached up and began tickling Bowser's belly. He was rewarded with renewed laughter from his unwilling captive.

With great gusto Mario began sweeping his hands along Bowser's underside, tickling his belly, sides and especially under his arms. Mario could feel Bowser pounding on the wall with his hands trying to keep himself under control from this new, unrelenting assault on his body.

Mario eventually worked his hands up to Bowser's neck, where he removed the spiked collar Bowser always wore and began tickling the tender region where it once rested. As if on cue, Bowser began laughing yet again. Mario began to wonder just how much more Bowser could take.

His answer came as quickly as he thought it, as Bowser's laughter began to die down, his arms started to droop down to his sides and his legs collapsed to their knees. Moving his hands away from Bowser's body, Mario called out to him… no response. He tried again and was greeted with a still silence. Mario was left with only one conclusion, Bowser had passed out.

Deciding that he'd had enough fun with his prisoner Mario walked out from under Bowser and made his way back into the ship again to check on the unconscious king.

Walking back into the room, he stopped when he came within sight of Bowser's head still stuck in the wall. As he moved closer, he noticed that Bowser's eyes were shut and he was breathing very slowly and deeply. It was just as Mario thought, Bowser was out cold.

Standing in front of Bowser, Mario looked at his age old rival as if seeing him for the first time. He gazed upon Bowser's visage, his closed eyes, his cavernous mouth, his small horns, his snout and his flaming red hair.

Mario's gaze rested on the King's hair; it was one of the features he always had a fixation on. He loved how red it looked and how it would blow in the wind when the breeze caught it at just the right angle. He didn't know what it was Bowser did with his hair but it was obvious to him he took good care of it. It was so clean and healthy looking.

Removing the glove from his right hand, Mario reached up to Bowser's head and began running his hand through the Koopa King's hair. Mario sighed, it felt just as good as it looked, every strand of red hair tickling the fine hairs on his fingers. Mario leaned in a little closer to Bowser as his hand continued its exploration through the short but thick jungle that was Bowser's hair.

Leaning in closer, Mario leaned down and took a long, drawn out whiff of Bowser's hair. Bowser's hair had a clean sent to it, but Mario thought he caught a whiff of something that smelled faintly musky. The smell intoxicated Mario as he decided to take another whiff of Bowser's hair, as he continued running his fingers through the King's fiery red mane.

As Mario pulled his face away from Bowser's hair, he looked at Bowser's closed eyes and imagined his eyes open. He'd seen Bowser's eyes so many times he knew there look by heart. He recalled how they glimmered when he would come up with, what he believed to be, a nefarious scheme, how they burned with rage when he was angry, and, on rare occasions, how he'd see a growing fire within them when he was determined to do something. He knew these looks well, but the one look he never saw, the one look he always longed to see was what his eyes looked like when he felt loved.

Unknowingly, as Mario was imagining the many different looks of his rival's eyes, his face inched closer and closer to the Koopa King's mouth. Holding on to Bowser's head with his right hand, Mario slowly moved his face closer, as he caught the unconscious King's lips in a passionate kiss.

Closing his eyes, Mario deepened the kiss as best he could as he pulled Bowser's head closer to his with his right hand. Opening Bowser's mouth with his tongue, he began to explore his rival's mouth as he took in the taste of the King of the Koopas. Eventually, his tongue came to rest atop Bowser's own as Mario began massaging the muscle.

Opening his eyes, Mario began to pull away from Bowser's mouth as he gazed once more on his visage. Mario moved his right hand away from Bowser's hair and placed the glove back on it as he licked his lips, a genuine smile crossing his face. He had enjoyed the opportunity, but he felt it would've been far better if Bowser had been awake in order to reciprocate these actions.

Taking one last glance at Bowser, and satisfied for the moment, Mario decided that it was time to free him. Looking around at what he had to work with he tried to think of the best possible way to do this. Unfortunately, he didn't have much to work with except himself and a hammer.

That's when Mario remembered the hammer he swiped from one of the hammer bros. taking it out, he looked at the hammer, then to Bowser's head, and then back at the hammer.

Mario sighed, "I doubt he's going to like this, but I can't think of any other way" he muttered as he swung the hammer back, preparing to free Bowser from his captivity.

Bowser groggily opened one of his eyes, trying to remember just what happened to him. As he tried to get his bearings, a faint memory of someone tickling him to death started drifting back into his head. Suddenly, it all started coming back to him. A low hiss escaped his mouth '_when I get my hands on that plumber I'll-'_

His thought was interrupted as his vision cleared and he noticed the head of a hammer swinging towards his face. Both eyes wide, Bowser wondered just what he did to deserve all this before the hammer came crashing into his face.

Bowser heard and audible crash as the wood splintered around his head, freeing it from its confinement. Landing flat on his shell, Bowser looked up at the ceiling as the world began to spin around him. '_Curse that plumber_' he thought as he drifted back into unconscious oblivion.

* * *

Luigi was leaning back in his chair, balancing it on its two hind legs, enjoying the midmorning air as it filtered in through the window. Leaning his head back, he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes half closed, wondering what his brother Mario was doing at the castle. '_I bet he's doing something fun with the princess. Wish I was having fun_.' He thought, as his angled his hat over his eyes as they slowly drifted shut.

Suddenly, a knock was heard at the door. Startled, Luigi brought his feet up too quickly and lost his balance on the chair. Falling backwards, Luigi smacked his head against the floor. Yelping in pain, he grabbed the back of his head with both hands and began massaging the sore spot.

Whoever was knocking had knocked again. "I'm coming!" Luigi yelled, as he got back up to his feet and strode towards the door.

Opening the door, he was greeted by the site of… Princess Peach.

"Oh, Princess Peach, long time no see," he said, surprised to see that Peach was here.

That's when he noticed who wasn't with her. "Where's Mario?"

Peach frowned. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Luigi shrugged, "Last I saw of him, he was heading to the castle after he got your letter."

"Well, he was at the castle, but now he's gone. I've had the guards search the entire castle, I even have them looking through the town, but still no sign of him. I thought he might have gone home, but… you really haven't seen him?"

Luigi shook his head, "nope, he's not here." Luigi frowned, it wasn't like his brother to just up and leave without him telling someone where he was going.

Luigi stepped out on to the porch. "Don't worry Princess, I'll look for him."

Peach smiled, "Oh, thank you Luigi. I didn't mean to impose, but I could really use the help."

Reaching back into the house, Luigi grabbed his hammer. "No problem, Princess. I was looking for something to do today anyway," he said, as he walked over to the warp pipe followed closely by the princess.


	5. The First Night

**Chapter 4: The First Night**

Slowly, Bowser started drifting back into consciousness, only to be assaulted by a sharp and throbbing pain in his forehead. Moaning in pain, Bowser reached up to feel the sore area. He could feel a nice bump on the top of his forehead. With a hiss, he retracted his hand and clenched his eyes shut as a new wave of pain overcame him. A tear started forming at the corner of his right eye; it hurt so much.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you," said a concerned voice from his left.

Recognizing the voice, Bowser immediately turned his head to the left, and was quickly assailed by another bout of discomfort. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he slowly opened his eyes and beheld the sight of a red capped plumber standing next to him.

"MARIO!!!" he yelled, causing his wound to throb. Clenching his eyes shut again, Bowser moaned as he rubbed the bump on his head.

"Take it easy, you've got quite a bump on your head."

Opening one of his eyes, Bowser silently regarded Mario. "No thanks to you."

Mario smiled weakly, "Well, at least I got your head out of that wall."

Bowser sighed as he turned away from Mario. "Lucky me," he said, another pulse of pain traveled through his head. Bowser rubbed the bump, yet again, as he tried to sooth the pain as best he could. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Your bedroom," came the reply.

Bowser slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Sure enough, he saw, staring back at him, the familiar stone ceiling of his bedroom, complete with a carving of his face so that he would always wake up to a pleasant sight. He noticed how dark it was in the room and deduced that it was night time.

"How long have I been out for?" he asked.

"Quite a while. I think maybe a good few hours at least."

"How'd I get here?" he asked, slowly turning his head back to Mario.

Mario smirked, "It wasn't easy. I had to carry you here all by myself. Did you gain a few pounds since the last time I saw you?"

A low growl escaped from Bowser's mouth followed by steam bellowing from his nostrils. Bowser opened his mouth to speak, but his bump picked that particular time to throb. He quickly closed his mouth again; unfortunately this resulted in him biting his tongue.

Bowser's eyes quickly shot open as he grabbed his mouth with both hands and quickly sat up in his bed, resulting in more throbbing from his bump. Bowser clenched his eyes shut as he started yelling into his hands, his body shaking from the pain. A tear leaked out from his right eye as he waited for the pain in his head and tongue to subside.

He felt a hand grab on to his left arm, but he quickly batted it away.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help" came the indignant reply.

The pain had subsided enough that Bowser could turn to his would-be helper, Mario. "You want to help!? How about you start by getting the hell out of my room!" he yelled, pointing to the door.

Mario crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Bowser. "I'm not leaving you alone with a wound like that."

Bowser was about to reply, but stopped once he noticed the look in Mario's eyes. How often had he seen those blue eyes, so confident, so determined. Mario had fire; Bowser had to give him that. However, there was something different in the way he was looking at him. His eyes were still determined, but then Mario's always been determined so that was nothing new, but he couldn't put his finger on this new look. He was determined, true, but he seemed to be… concerned.

Bowser just sat there, silently staring at Mario. Was Mario really concerned about him, he wondered. Bowser was beginning to wonder if this really was the first time the plumber had ever been concerned about him, or if this was just the first time he actually noticed Mario's concern.

The sound of Mario clearing his throat derailed Bowser's train of thought. Shaking his head slightly, to clear his head, Bowser was rewarded with yet another throb from his bump. Rubbing the bump, he regarded Mario, his eyes narrowing. "I don't need your pity," he muttered.

Mario extended his hand out towards Bowser. "How about my help?" he asked.

Bowser stared down at Mario's hand, wondering just what game the plump, mustachioed plumber was playing at. Bowser looked back up at Mario's eyes again. His look hadn't changed; Mario was determined to help him. Bowser let out a long sigh and began to lie back down on his bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, Bowser said, "Fine, besides, this is your fault any way." He turned his head to face Mario, "and just how are you going to help me?"

Mario shrugged, "I don't know, but I'll think of something," he said, smiling.

Bowser sighed, and looked back up at the ceiling. He had expected as much. "Terrific," he unenthusiastically stated as he slowly closed his eyes.

His eyes immediately shot open when he felt someone climb up on top of him. The site that beheld him was Mario straddling his chest.

Bowser immediately went on the defensive, "What are you doing?!" he yelled.

"Well, you can't expect me to help you from down there, can you?" he said, giving Bowser a half smile.

Bowser narrowed his eyes as he glared at the plumber. "Get off me," he growled.

"But this is a nice, comfortable spot," he said, gesturing to where he was sitting.

"GET OFF!!!" Bowser bellowed, and was rewarded with another throb from his bump.

Mario shook his head, "Just relax, okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Just trust me, alright?"

After Bowser massaged his bump a bit, he turned his attention back to Mario. He glared up into Mario's eyes, weighing his options. Mario still had that determined and concerned look in his eyes. There was no way Bowser would be able to get rid of him for long even if he tried.

Finally, he sighed, "Fine... but if you go anywhere near my ass, you're dead," he snarled.

Bowser expected many things from Mario, what he did not expect was for Mario's eyes to widen at Bowser's statement. Mario's usual determined look was replaced by yet another one Bowser was unfamiliar with. Bowser couldn't put his finger on it, but, if he had to take a guess, Mario was offended.

"Is that what you think I'd do!? That I'd do something as disgraceful as-" Mario took a breath and collected himself before continuing, "Bowser, I think you and I need to be clear on a few things. One, I'm not interested in your ass…" he paused, a look of uncertainty crossing his face as he glanced at Bowser, "You're not interested in mine, are you?" he asked.

Bowser's eyes nearly popped out of his head as a look of pure disgust crossed his face. He knew what was on the other side of that hole, so the answer was incredibly obvious to him. "Hell no!" he roared.

Mario visibly relaxed as he let out a sigh of relief, "Ah, great, glad that's settled." Looking back at Bowser, he said, "Now, second, this is hardly the time for anything… erotic," a sly smile crossing his face at that remark, "Let's take care of your pain first."

"How?"

Mario put his hand to his chin, "I don't know. There's gotta be a way to relax y-" Mario stopped in mid sentence, a big smile crossing his face.

Bowser saw this smile and started to feel a bit insecure as memories of what happened the last time he saw a smile like that crossed his mind. "What is it?" he asked, wary of Mario's idea of helping.

Mario lied down on Bowser's belly and slowly slid down towards Bowser's legs. It was a short trip. "Just trust me," he said, as he grabbed hold of Bowser's right foot.

Bowser's eyes immediately widened in horror as he feared he was about to have a repeat of what happened a while ago today.

Mario smiled at Bowser's terrified look. "No tickling, I promise. I've got something else in mind."

Bowser relaxed, but he still eyed Mario suspiciously. Just what was the plumber up to?

* * *

Without further ado, Mario pressed his fingers into Bowser's foot and began massaging the tender appendage.

After a few seconds of slowly working his fingers along Bowser's foot, Mario heard Bowser moan softly as the massage began to take its effect on him. Mario continued working on Bowser's foot, making sure to press firmly, but not too firmly, he wanted this to be pleasurable, not painful.

Mario worked his way down to Bowser's toes where he paid attention to the area between each toe. Taking his other hand, he interlaced his fingers through the space between Bowser's toes and began squeezing the front of Bowser's foot in between his hands. A long moan was the response from Bowser.

"Feels good" said Bowser.

Continuing to squeeze Bowser's foot, Mario looked up at him. He noticed that the Koopa King's muscles seemed to be relaxing in response to what was going on with his foot. It was Bowser's eyes that caught Mario's attention. It was as if the tyrant was in a stupor, like the massage was intoxicating him as he looked at Mario with half closed eyes. If this was how Bowser responded to just his foot getting massaged, Mario wondered how he'd respond to the other areas he intended to get to.

"You enjoying this?" Mario asked, as he decided to try massaging both the top and bottom of Bowser's feet at the same time.

A long, pleasurable moan was Bowser's response.

Mario smiled, "I'll take that as a yes," he said, as he continued his work.

After a few more minutes with Bowser's foot, Mario decided to work on the other foot. Utilizing the same techniques as before, it wasn't long before he had Bowser moaning and sighing in pure contentment.

Looking back up at Bowser, Mario noticed that he had laid his head down on the pillow. "What do you say I take this massage somewhere else?" he asked.

Without even lifting his head to look at Mario, Bowser slowly nodded his approval.

Needing no more than that, Mario took both his hands and started stroking Bowser's leg. Mario could feel the muscles relaxing with the firm pressure he was applying with his hands. Mario's hands easily glided over the surprisingly smooth skin on Bowser's leg.

Deciding to kill two birds with one stone, Mario took one of his hands and started massaging Bowser's other leg.

Throughout the process, Bowser continued to moan and sigh as his legs were worked on by the firm, yet tender hands of Mario. His body had never felt so relaxed in his life, and Mario wasn't even half way done yet. Plus, the throbbing in his bump seemed to have lessened. He could feel Mario continuing his work on both legs when Mario suddenly hit a sensitive spot near his knee.

Bowser let out a long, loud moan in response as the area began to relax instantly under Mario's touch. Bowser was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He had never felt this good in his life. He couldn't believe that anyone, let alone his archrival, could actually do this to him.

The reality of the situation hit Bowser; Mario was doing this to him. These were Mario's hands on his body. It was Mario making him feel like this. It was Mario's concern that put him in this spot. It was the potion that brought him here.

'_The potion,'_ Bowser thought as he struggled to stay awake. Was Mario really concerned about him, or was it just the potion making him do this?

The loosening of another tight spot in his leg shook Bowser out of his thoughts, as he moaned in response to his now relaxed muscle. Not able to fight it anymore, Bowser closed his eyes and melted into the massage as Mario continued his work. Potion or not, Bowser had to admit, Mario was damn good at this as another moan escaped his mouth.

Deciding that Bowser's legs were as relaxed as could be, Mario decided to turn his attention to Bowser's tail. Mario couldn't remember how many times he had grabbed Bowser's tail in order to defeat him, but now he'd be grabbing his archrival's tail for a completely different reason.

Grabbing his tail, and minding the spikes, Mario began firmly squeezing Bowser's tail. The response from Bowser was instantaneous as he moaned in blissful contentment at the contact.

After a few more squeezes, Mario decided to turn his attention to Bowser's groin. He had been ignoring it up until now, but he finally looked at this particular region of Bowser's anatomy.

Sure enough, there it was just hanging there. A six inch, by Mario's guess, flaccid cock and two rather large balls held in place by a large and prominent scrotum. Mario just sat there and stared at the sight. It wasn't the first time he had seen it. After all, when you fight a guy who's naked most of the time you can't help but notice, but this was the first time he actually saw it up close. As he continued staring, he wondered just how big Bowser was when he was aroused.

Mario could feel a familiar rising sensation in his crotch, as he looked down at his own manhood. Sure enough, he could see his cock erecting, stretching the fabric in his overalls as it strained for release. Mario looked back at Bowser's cock and smiled. He had a feeling that his dick could prove a match for Bowser's when the time came.

It was so tempting, but Mario remembered that he did promise Bowser that there would be nothing erotic… this time. So, tearing his gaze from Bowser's groin Mario looked back up at Bowser… only to see the Koopa King staring right back at him, still spaced out, but with a puzzled expression on his face.

Mario could feel his face warm up, as he quickly put on a disarming smile. "J-just admiring. Y-you're pretty well endowed Bowser." He said, hoping he sounded as confident as he hoped.

To Mario's surprise, Bowser just smiled and laid his head back on the pillow. Deciding that Bowser wasn't going to fry his face off, Mario let out a sigh of relief.

"More massage, please," said a slur mouthed Bowser.

Mario decided that he'd skip Bower's groin and move on to his belly.

He was just about to continue massaging Bowser, when a sudden thought just crossed his mind. '_Did Bowser just say please?_' he thought, looking back up at the giant turtle. First Bowser just blows off the fact that he caught him starring at his genitals and now he says please; Mario was beginning to wonder if this massage really was intoxicating the tyrant.

A displeased growl from Bowser snapped Mario back into reality as he began to massage Bowser's belly.

Starting from the sides, Mario began moving his hands along the king as he applied an ample amount of pressure to the locations he desired. Mario could hear Bowser's content moans, knowing well that the tyrant was enjoying every second of this. As Mario massaged Bowser's tummy, he could feel that the upper layer of his abdominal region was soft, but as he pushed down a bit more, he could feel hard muscle underneath it all. Apparently, Bowser has some strong abdominal muscles buried under those layers of fat. Mario moved his hands inwards toward the center of Bowser's belly.

As the massage continued, Mario realized just how comfy Bowser's belly looked and felt. He imagined what it would be like to just lay his head down on that soft belly of his and just fall right to sleep.

As Mario continued his imagining, he became aware that his face was getting closer to Bowser's tummy. Not sure whether Bowser would like this or not, Mario decided to throw caution to the wind as he rubbed his face against Bowser's belly.

Bowser's skin was smooth, and Mario could detect a whiff of the same substance Bowser used on his hair as he continued rubbing his face into Bowser's belly while his hands continued rubbing the tyrant's sides. Mario closed his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation of Bowser's skin rubbing against his face. His mustache must have been tickling Bowser as he could hear a few chuckles escape the Koopa King amidst his moans and sighs.

Passion completely overtaking Mario, he lightly kissed Bowser's belly, as he worked his way up to his chest, wanting to see what his would-be lover tasted like on the outside. It wasn't long before Mario's mouth ached for more as he intensified his kissing; allowing his tongue to escape his mouth in order to obtain a more thorough analysis of Bowser's taste. As he was kissing and licking Bowser's abdomen, his hands became more intense in their massage as he applied more pressure and more thoroughly relaxed Bowser's muscles under his touch.

Eventually, Mario's passionate massage brought him up to Bowser's chest, and he decided to come up for air.

He glanced up at Bowser and noticed that Bowser was, again, looking at him. He still had that relaxed look in his eyes as he regarded Mario with what Mario could only guess was curiosity; the same kind of curiosity a child would have when he noticed someone doing something the child had never seen before.

Feeling that familiar warmth return to his face, Mario decided to try and ameliorate the situation. "Uh, sorry. I-I guess I got a little… carried away," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Bowser continued to silently regard his rival before uttering, "No problem," and laid his head back down on the pillow.

Had Mario's eyes gone any wider, his eyes would've fallen out of his head. He couldn't believe that Bowser just shrugged off what happened as if it were no big deal. He was used to Bowser getting up in his face, threatening, and attempting, to end his very existence, and now, here he was, the mighty Koopa King, as docile as a puppy. This, more than anything else, proved to Mario that this massage was having one helluva an effect on the, normally, testy tyrant.

A low growl from Bowser alerted Mario to the fact that he should probably continue the massage.

Reaching over to Bowser's arms, Mario undid his spiked arm bands and put them aside as he began massaging both of the King's arms. As his hands moved along Bowser's arms, he eventually began to concentrate on Bowser's hands. Deciding to treat both his hands as if they were his feet, Mario began using the same tactics he applied to Bowser's feet on his hands as well. This got an immediate response out of Bowser as he let out a long, relaxed moan under Mario's intoxicating touch.

Deciding that Bowser's arms and hands had received enough attention, he decided to move on to Bowser's shoulders and neck.

Removing Bowser's spiked collar, Mario began rubbing Bowser's shoulders and could feel each one of the muscles under his hands completely relax under his touch. Bowser's breathing became deeper and slower as the massage continued, and his moaning seemed to have quitted.

As Mario moved his hands up to Bowser's meaty neck, he noticed just how appetizing it looked to him. He could feel his mouth salivating, begging him to kiss and nip at Bowser's neck. Mario's face inched closer to Bowser, preparing to give him yet another passionate kiss, with an added kick.

Just centimeters from Bowser's neck, Mario stopped. He shook himself back to reality and decided that it was best not to press his luck. He wasn't about to test just how docile Bowser was at the moment, so, he decided to save this particular pleasure for later.

Moving away from Bowser's neck, Mario finally reached his head. Bowser's eyes were closed, and from Bowser's even and deep breathing, he was asleep.

Mario smiled down at his rival, watching as he slept peacefully. It was then Mario realized just how tired he was as well. Stretching and yawning, Mario decided that before he turned in, he'd finish the massage.

Using his fingers, he began applying firm, yet gentle, pressure to Bowser's forehead, minding his bump, and traced his finger's around the entire width of Bowser's face.

Satisfied that the massage was complete, Mario ran his hand through Bowser's hair one last time, and leaned in for another whiff. The scent was just like he remembered it, as he allowed it to fill both his nostrils, giving him a slight head rush as the smell had a slight intoxicating effect to it.

Pulling back, Mario looked down at Bowser, yet again. The Koopa King seemed so peaceful in his sleep; even more so after Mario loosened up his whole body. Mario noticed a trace of a smile on the tyrant's lips as Bowser continued to sleep. Mario couldn't remember the last time he saw Bowser smile like that.

Mario sat there, atop Bowser's chest, pondering what had happened to Bowser. He had never seen him so relaxed, so docile and so removed from reality. Mario had to admit, though he had never seen Bowser so docile before, it was a nice change from his usual behavior. At the moment, Bowser seemed like less of a terrible tyrant and more of a huggable puppy… a spike shelled, fire breathing, huggable puppy.

Feeling his fatigue catch up to him, Mario decided to give Bowser a good night kiss before turning in. Taking his hat off and placing it on the nightstand, he leaned in close to Bowser's face, and captured his lips in yet another kiss.

Passion getting the better of him, Mario decided to try and deepen the kiss by opening Bowser's mouth with his tongue like last time. To his surprise, as if it sensed his intention, Bowser's mouth opened on its own. Taken aback by this Mario quickly recovered and decided to accept this open invitation by thrusting his tongue into Bowser's mouth and, again, exploring the cavernous orifice.

Eventually, Mario's tongue rested itself upon Bowser's tongue and felt the wounds Bowser had inflicted on himself when he accidently bit it. Gently, Mario began massaging Bowser's tongue with his own hoping to help ease the muscle from any pains it may be having.

To Mario's shock, Bowser let out a content moan at this contact. Mario immediately pulled out and away from Bowser and looked down at him. Bowser's mouth closed, and his breathing was still deep and relaxed. Perhaps Bowser had just been dreaming.

Sighing in relief, Mario leaned in and lightly kissed Bowser's forehead. Before turning in, he whispered, "Goodnight," to Bowser and laid himself down atop Bowser's chest and belly while he draped his arms around Bowser's chest and rested his head in the crook of Bowser's neck. Closing his eyes, he listened to Bowser's steady and rhythmic breathing as it slowly lulled him into sleep.

* * *

Slowly cracking one of his eyes open, Bowser glanced at Mario's sleeping figure. Unknown to the plumber, he had been awake the whole time, just in a deep state of relaxation.

Bowser reached his hand up to his mouth and felt where Mario had kissed him. He had felt the whole thing, he could feel Mario's lips on his own, feel his tongue press against his mouth and felt it explore his mouth when he opened it up to let him in. He could feel Mario gently massage his sore tongue and couldn't suppress the ensuing moan that followed.

He didn't know why, but he wanted Mario to continue. He wanted to feel Mario's tongue against his own, feel Mario's hands on his body, Feel Mario's lips against his own, feel Mario's cock against his.

Those thoughts surprised Bowser as he shook his head to clear them away. It didn't make any sense, why would he want to feel his rival in those ways. Hadn't he ruined all his plans, destroyed his dreams, and denied him everything that he believed was rightly his? Why would he, of all people, feel like this about Mario, and why now? It was just one massage… one incredible massage.

Reaching slowly out to Mario, Bowser slowly ran his right hand through Mario's hair just like Mario had done to his own hair. He had to admit, his hair felt pretty damn good, almost as good as his own… almost.

As Bowser continued gently running his claws through Mario's hair, Mario gently, sleepily, sighed at Bowser's touch and snuggled closer to him.

Bowser smiled, before his thoughts came back. Why was he doing this? Why was he feeling like this?

'_The way I'm thinking, you'd think I liked the guy_,' he thought. Bowser stopped running his hand through Mario's hair as he pondered this new thought. Did he like Mario?

Bowser shook his head violently, so violently, his bump started acting up again. Rubbing the bump with one hand Bowser was about to shake Mario awake and ask him to massage his forehead again but stopped when he realized what he was thinking. Why did he want Mario to massage him again?

'_Because it felt good,_' came an uninvited thought.

Bowser stopped everything he was doing and regarded that thought. Sure the massage had felt good, and he certainly wouldn't mind it if Mario did it again, but it probably would've felt just as good if someone else had done it to him.

'_Would it?_' came another uninvited thought.

"Of course it would!" Bowser said aloud.

Bowser felt Mario stir in his sleep and quickly shut himself up lest he wake the sleeping plumber.

Bowser sighed; he was too tired to argue with himself. He decided to just sleep on it and wait until tomorrow to think about this again. He closed his eyes and did his best to drift to sleep. Thoughts of the massage Mario gave him filled his head as he could feel his muscles instinctively relax as he slipped into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Slowly, Luigi approached the edge of the Forever Forest, wondering if Mario might have decided, at the spur of the moment, to go and visit the Boos at Boo's Mansion.

The moon hung high in the night sky as the lanky plumber, shakily, made his way into the forest.

"Man, why'd I let Peach talk me in to going here," he muttered to himself.

He and the princess had decided to split up in their search for Mario. She decided to investigate Koopa Village while she sent some of her toads to check Dry Dry Outpost. Peach had gotten the wild idea into her head that Mario might have gone to the Forever Forest and got lost and had Luigi search that area.

Luigi slowly made his way through the forest, shaking as he observed the shadows around him cast by the gnarled trees. He could hear the sound of crickets chirping, owls hooting and wolves howling.

"Wolves…" Luigi muttered, as his knees began to shake.

Luigi knew there was worse in this forest than wolves, but he was doing the best he could to try and keep his mind off of ghosts.

"G-ghosts," he shakily stuttured.

As soon as the thought filled his head, it started getting darker in the woods. Luigi looked up and noticed the moon, his only source of light, was now covered up by the clouds. Feeling a lump forming in his throat, Luigi gulped it down as he tried to suppress a rising panic growing from within.

Tearing his eyes from the sky he stared into the forest in front of him, and noticed a couple pairs of red eyes staring at him from the trees.

Luigi froze in fear, wanting to scream, but his voice had died half way up his throat. All he managed was a horse cough.

Luigi slowly, put one shaky leg behind him, as he slowly started backing away.

"M-maybe Mario didn't come here after all. M-maybe h-he's somewhere else, l-like Flower Fields or L-Lavalava Island, b-but I'm s-sure he's not here." He stuttered, as he backed away.

Turning to run, Luigi came face-to-face with a monocled Boo, Fangs bared as it opened its mouth wide letting loose a hideous roar, its long tongue lashing around.

Eyes nearly popping out of his head, Luigi's voice found new life as he let out a shrill scream and immediately darted in the opposite direction from the foul creature, right out of the woods.

* * *

Seeing the intruder had gone, the Boo turned to the red eyes in the forest which revealed themselves to be two more boos.

"That was a great one. Did you see him run and scream?" laughed one Boo.

One of the others laughed in response. "Yeah, what do you think Bootler?" he said, turning to the Boo that scared the green capped intruder off.

"I think… that's a scare to remember." Said the monocled Boo, as he stared off into the direction the terrified mortal had gone.

* * *

A/N: I'm teasing you again:). Don't worry, things will heat up eventually, trust me. In case you can't tell yet, I enjoy developing things.


	6. The Dream

A/N: Okay, first off, I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I've been pretty busy and it was hard trying to get this chapter worded just right to where I felt comfortable with it. I was hoping to make this chapter longer but I decided to take the scenes I would've added to this one and add them to the next one. That chapter's still in the planning stages, but I'm hoping to get to it soon. Hopefully I won't run into any dilemmas. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 5: **The Dream**

_Straddling Bowser's chest, Mario ran his gloveless hands up the Koop King's chest and up his neck, removing the King's spiked collar in the process. Gazing into Bowser's fiery eyes, Mario leaned in near Bowser's tender neck and lightly bit down on the sensitive skin. This earned him a moan from Bowser as Mario continued playfully nipping at his lover's neck._

_Bowser, in turn, removed the spiked armbands on both his arms and began lightly stroking Mario's back. Bowser could feel Mario's body shiver as he slowly ran his claws along Mario's backside and pulled the plumber closer to him. A playful, yet sadistic, smile crossed his face as he leaned in near Mario's neck and began nipping at it, hoping the plumber's skin was as sensitive as his own._

_Mario immediately moaned as Bowser began his assault on his neck. He allowed his head to droop down near Bowser's shoulder as he ran his hands down to Bowser's sides and belly and began scratching and massaging the region hoping to get a response from his massive partner._

_Feeling Mario's hands scratching his stomach, Bowser moaned and allowed his head to fall away from Mario's neck to lie back down on his pillow as he felt every sensation of Mario's touch._

_He continued scratching Mario's back, and turned his head to see his rival face-to-face. It was as if he was seeing Mario for the first time as cerulean eyes met his own ruby ones. Bowser stared at the red capped, big nosed, mustachioed plumber and wondered how such a treasure could've been right there under his very nose this whole time._

_Bowser could feel Mario's hands run up his sides and right up to his shoulders as the plumber lifted his head to stare down at him. A smile slowly crossed Bowser's face as he gazed up at his long time rival, a smile which Mario gladly returned._

_Bowser could feel Mario's hands run up his neck as the plumber closed his eyes and moved in closer to his face._

_Bowser knew what Mario was after, and deciding to beat Mario to it, Bowser closed his eyes, leaned his head up closer to Mario's own, and captured the plumber's lips in a tender kiss._

_Mario responded in kind, by deepening the kiss as he ran one hand behind Bowser's head while the other began rubbing Bowser's chest._

_Bowser, likewise, began running one of his hands through Mario's hair, knocking his cap off in the process, while the other hand pulled Mario closer to his body in a captivating one-armed hug._

_As the kissing and caressing continued, Bowser could feel something brushing against his mouth and realized that Mario's tongue wanted in. A gleeful moan escaped his lips as Bowser slowly opened his mouth to allow Mario's tongue entry. However; the Koopa King wasn't going to let Mario in that easily._

_As soon as Mario's tongue tried to enter Bowser's mouth, Bowser's own tongue slammed right in to Mario's, knocking it back. _

_Stunned, but not out of the fight, Mario's tongue rammed back against Bowser's tongue, and just like their two owners, the tongues began their own battle._

_Bowser groaned as he could feel Mario's tongue pushing against his own as he tried to wrestle it out of his mouth and back in to Mario's. Bowser intended to get a taste of his Italian plumber, and he was not about to let even Mario's tongue get in the way. Bowser began twisting his tongue around Mario's own as he began to lightly squeeze the muscle._

_A moan from Mario signaled to Bowser that it was as good a time as any to make his move as he slowly began pushing Mario's tongue back in to his mouth._

_As if knowing exactly what Bowser wanted, Mario decided to let the Giant Koopa have what he wanted as he eased his tongue away from Bowser's own, knowing that he'd get his chance to taste his lover, eventually. _

_With Mario's tongue out of commission, for the moment, Bowser was finally allowed entry into the mustachioed plumber's mouth. He could hear Mario moaning as he glided his tongue along every inch of Mario's mouth. As he explored Mario's teeth and gum line, Bowser playfully pushed down on Mario's tongue and began massaging his rival's muscle. He was rewarded with yet another string of moans from Mario as he continued soaking in the taste of his Italian lover._

_While Bowser was enjoying his oral exploration, Mario ran his hand through Bowser's hair as he pulled the King's head closer to him to help deepen the kiss and allow Bowser greater access to his mouth. The sensation of Bowser's kiss and the feel of Bowser's arm around him was a complete turn on for Mario as he felt a familiar sensation rising in his lower regions._

_Mario could feel his breath quickening as his dick began to lengthen and harden against Bowser's belly as he lay atop the mighty King. It wasn't long before he was fully erect and his penis yearned for release from its confines._

_Charged with a new primal and sexual energy, Mario kicked off his shoes and practically willed himself to become one with Bowser's face as he pushed himself further against Bowser. Knowing he must have caught his lover unprepared, Mario picked this time to resume his attack on Bowser's tongue, deciding that he'd given him enough of a taste. Now, it was time Bowser returned the favor, as a sexually charged grunt escaped Mario's lips._

_Caught off guard, Bowser's tongue was completely pushed out of Mario's mouth and back in to his own. A surprised moan escaped Bowser's mouth as he felt Mario's tongue exploring his own mouth. _

_Deciding to let the plumber have his way, for now, the tyrant allowed his tongue to settle down as he surrendered to Mario's exploration._

_As Mario's tongue continued exploring his mouth and Mario's hands continued running through his hair, Bowser could feel Mario's phallus against his belly, as he could feel his own cock beginning to erect as well. _

_Now, fully aroused, Bowser began deepening the kiss with Mario as his tongue sprang back to life and began wrestling with Mario's own._

_Mario Began fighting back against the King's tongue, not yet satisfied with the taste he had gotten so far. Mario had to admit, Bowser's tongue could put up on helluva fight, just like the Koopa King himself. The two continued their tongue wrestling match as they took this fight to the border between their mouths. _

_A long moan escaped Mario as he felt Bowser's hands move up his back and towards his shoulders. He could feel the tyrant hooking his overall straps with his claws and slowly move his straps down past his shoulders. _

_A surprised gasp escaped Mario, as he opened his eyes and pulled, slightly, away from Bowser._

_Bowser opened his eyes and looked up at Mario again, wondering what the problem was. He got his answer when Mario smiled, and moved his arms out of his overall straps, allowing them to fall, limply, by his sides. As the straps fell, Mario sat up, straddling Bowser's chest, and raised his arms over his head._

_Smiling, Bowser grabbed at Mario's red shirt and began pulling it up and over Mario's head, exposing his chest. _

_Bowser was impressed by how thick Mario's chest hair was. It was a nice, thick, curly mat of hair that covered the entirety of his chest. He had to admit; it looked pretty comfortable and wondered what it'd be like to feel it. As if drawn by some powerful magnetic force, Bowser closed his eyes, leaned up, and started lightly rubbing his head into Mario's chest hair, contently sighing as he allowed the chest hairs to tickle his face._

_This earned him a chuckle out of the plumber as he felt Mario's hand caress his hair. Wrapping his arms around Mario's upper body, he pulled the plumber closer to him as he took in a nice, big whiff of Mario's masculine scent as he nuzzled in closer to Mario's chest._

_Bowser slowly opened his eyes, and looked up at Mario. Mario still had his hand in Bowser's hair, as he smiled down at the red eyed king. Leaning down, he lightly kissed Bowser on the forehead._

_Bowser's heart swelled as Mario kissed him and he felt that longing in his groin yet again. Deciding that his genitals were getting impatient, he hooked his thumb claws into the back of Mario's overalls and slowly moved away from Mario's chest as he began pulling Mario's pants further down his body. _

_Mario helped Bowser by moving his legs up a bit, allowing the Koopa King to fully remove his pants and underwear, exposing Mario, in all his glory._

_Bowser stared down at Mario's groin and realized just where the rest of Mario's height went. It went right into his cock, which was an impressive nine inches long and balls the size of golf balls. He had to admit, for such a small guy, Mario was well endowed. _

_Bowser could feel his own ten inch dick give a hard throb at the sight of such a display._

_Glancing up at Mario, Bowser noticed a seductive smile crossing the plumber's lips, as he slowly began sliding down near Bowser's groin._

_Raising himself up a bit, Mario positioned himself so that his cock and balls were directly over Bowser's own cock and balls. The sight was enough for Mario's dick to give off a hard throb as the two phalluses were just inches apart from meeting each other._

_Bowser watched as Mario Positioned himself over his own genitals and could feel his cock get harder in response. He noticed Mario glancing up at him, as if to ask if this was what he wanted. Closing his eyes, Bowser leaned his body up closer to Mario so that they would be face-to-face. _

_Opening his eyes, Bowser looked upon Mario, a smile crossing his face as he leaned in and kissed the plumber yet again._

_Apparently, the kiss was all the confirmation Mario needed as the next thing Bowser knew; he could feel Mario slowly lower himself on top of his genitals. _

_The sensation of Bowser's genitals coming into contact with Mario's own had an incredible effect on the Koopa King. His eyes widened in amazed bliss as a powerful sensation ran through his entire body. A loud and incredibly pleased moan escaped Bowser's mouth as he felt a familiar pressure building up in his groin, begging for release. He could hear Mario's moans joining his own as they allowed each other's tongues to wrap around themselves and their cocks to negotiate. Bowser could feel Mario grinding his meat against the tyrant's own which only served to heighten the King's, already enormous, sense of pleasure._

_Bowser's breath quickened as he could feel the pressure building up from the constant grinding. He knew it'd only be a matter of time before he…_

* * *

Bowser's eyes shot open and he let out a loud groan as he felt himself go over the edge; his penis convulsing as it began spraying his seed all over the sheets of his bed. With each throb of his dick, another moan escaped Bowser as his nuts emptied out as much of his love sauce as they could.

After a few seconds, the convulsions stopped.

Bowser's breath began to quiet down a bit as his body began to recover from his intense orgasm.

Sighing, Bowser stared up at the ceiling; gazing at the carving of himself. The carving was looking good, as usual.

Closing his eyes, Bowser allowed the last few tingling sensations from his unexpected orgasm to die off as he began pondering what just happened.

_Isn't it obvious? You just blew your load because of him._

Bowser's eyes snapped open and starred back up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure what to make about this new, and unwelcome, thought other than that it bothered him to no end.

He continued starring up at the ceiling, wondering if the carving of his face had any clue as to what the hell just happened with him. If he had been expecting an answer, it'd be a long time in coming since the carving was as mute as ever; starring back at him with unseeing eyes.

Convinced that he wasn't going to get an answer, Bowser sighed and turned his head away from the ceiling. His gaze fell on the red and blue clad plumber draped over his chest, hands on either side of his body with his head resting near his neck.

Bowser just starred at Mario's prone body as he felt the plumber's chest rise and fall from his gentle breathing. Noticing Mario wasn't wearing his trademark cap, Bowser took a good look at his brown hair. It was cleaner then he had expected it to be, and had a dark shine that weakly reflected the light in the room.

Bowser frowned, having Mario there with him at the moment seemed odd, but yet it felt so… something else he couldn't put his finger on.

_Right, good, great, take your pick._

Bowser shook his head, a bit too roughly then he should've, which brought forth an aching pain from his forehead as he was tersely reminded of his injury the other day. While rubbing his head, Bowser became aware he was rubbing something else as well. Looking over at Mario, Bowser saw that he had been, unconsciously, rubbing Mario's hair with his other hand, letting his claws glide through the thick strands of brown hair that belonged to his long time rival.

Eyes widening, Bowser quickly recoiled his hand, not sure what to make of what just happened. To his surprise, a small smile crossed Mario's face as the still slumbering plumber moved his face closer to Bowser's neck; a small content sigh emitting from his vocal cords as his arms seemed to tighten slightly around the Koopa King's enormous bulk.

Bowser wasn't sure what to do about this, but he suddenly felt very uncomfortable. His head was a confused cacophony of thoughts that didn't make any sense to him, and Mario being so close to him was not helping his nerves.

He started glancing around the room for something, anything, which would try and take his mind off these thoughts and the fact that Mario was now sleepily rubbing his face into his neck. His eyes eventually fell to his covered lower regions, and that gave him pause as he let out a long, quiet, whistle. He'd never seen such a mess; his sheets were completely saturated with his seed. He was definitely going to need to clean himself up and get those sheets washed as quickly as possible.

_Felt good didn't it? To finally let yourself go after so long…_

Bowser shook his head to rid himself of that thought, and was rewarded with another throb of pain from his forehead. Massaging his aching head again, he tried to ponder what that thought had meant. Sure, it did feel great, it had been a long time since he had relieved himself from his sexual burden, but it had still be a while since he'd ever had a dream that erotic, but why Mario?

_Why not Mario?_

Bowser could think of a number of reasons to answer that question, but as he tried to call up anything in particular, he found that he couldn't think of as many things as he thought he could. It was as if his mind was too confused or tired to even attempt to try something as trivial as this.

Sighing, Bowser averted his gaze back up at the ceiling; starring back up at the engraving of himself while it starred back. Sighing again, Bowser allowed his head to sink deeper into his pillow.

That was when he felt something press against his neck and realized, from the feel of it, Mario had just lightly kissed him on the neck. Turning his head, Bowser glanced down, as best he could, at the capless plumber as he still slumbered away, blissfully unaware of the predicament of the king he now slept on top of.

Letting out a long, low groan as he felt the pain in his head throb again, Bowser turned away from Mario and closed his eyes. He had a feeling today was going to be another long, unpleasent day.


End file.
